"Enlarger Love"

[chip j]

How many of you are "in love" w/your enlargers? I love mine more than I love my cameras.

 

[andrewf]

I really hope that by the time I can afford a house of my own, with a darkroom, I can find an enlarger to fall in love with

 

[Halford]

Totally - but then it's a Durst

 

[Svenedin]

I liked my old LPL condenser but I now have a Kaiser 6x7 condenser/diffuser with a multigrade head. I love it. Such a pleasure to use, so sensibly designed. I look forward to darkroom sessions to use the Kaiser enlarger. Another benefit is the ready availability of parts, new or second hand.

 

[pdeeh]

mine's just a box with a lamp in it

 

[Patrick Robert James]

I tend to think of my enlargers like a Carpenter thinks of his hammers. Rather fond of them unless he smashes his thumb....

My Focomat is a more recent purchase and there are some things I don't really like about it. It took a while to get rid of all the lightleaks. The double glass carrier I put together is pretty thick. I haven't gotten around to shimming the condenser yet so the carrier will fit right. The Leitz easel must have been designed by a friggin' Nazi. It is abolutely terrible to get the paper in right, but the autofocus is off if you don't use it. Trying to focus manually requires you to hire a circus contortionist. I have heard that Saunders made a four blade easel for it, but I have never seen one.

On the other hand, my Saunders enlarger is perfect. Only complaint I have about it is the glass carrier is just a touch too small for 4x5 so if you are not careful you get the "fuzzy edge" which is pretty aggrevating. Don't know the brainiac who did the measurements on that one. Must've been a Yakuza who was missing a pinkie so he couldn't count to ten.

 

[Tony Egan]

Recently acquired a Fujimoto(Lucky) 45m - simple, robust and elegant design although neg carriers hard to find. However, still enthralled by my Durst 138 with its bespoke wooden condenser carrier box. The Alfa Romeo of enlargers - quirky and eccentric but such romantic fun to drive!

 

[naaldvoerder]

When I finally get my Kienzle, I will...

 

[RalphLambrecht]

How many of you are "in love" w/your enlargers? I love mine more than I love my cameras.

I have a Durst for love or love of Durst

 

[Rick N]

Yes, I do love my Durst Elite 2000 and a DeVere 5108.

 

[MattKing]

I have a deep felt, platonic friendship with my Omega D6. I feel strong feelings of guilt about my in-storage Beseler 67.

 

[Mainecoonmaniac]

I don't love my enlarger. But I do see it as a reliable old friend with all it's quirks. I've owned by Beseler 45MXT with dichro head for over 30 years.

 

[BobMarvin11225]

I love my Omega B8; it's probably not the absolute best medium format enlarger ever made, but IMO it's the best for my purposes. I spent a lot of time looking for one and even more time getting the extra pieces I wanted (especially the long-discontinued "thin" auxiliary condenser, intended for a 75 mm lens, that works fine with my 60 MM WA Companon, allowing me to make 16 X 20s on the baseboard).

 

[Hilo]

I tend to think of my enlargers like a Carpenter thinks of his hammers. Rather fond of them unless he smashes his thumb....

My Focomat is a more recent purchase and there are some things I don't really like about it. It took a while to get rid of all the lightleaks. The double glass carrier I put together is pretty thick. I haven't gotten around to shimming the condenser yet so the carrier will fit right. The Leitz easel must have been designed by a friggin' Nazi. It is abolutely terrible to get the paper in right, but the autofocus is off if you don't use it. Trying to focus manually requires you to hire a circus contortionist.

I assume you got a Focomat 2C? There's no need to do any condenser shimming! When you take off the top half of the head, look inside and a bit hidden is a metal handle on the side of the top of the condenser. You can pull it up and then you can turn the condenser around some. It will drop into place. I think yours hasn't yet.
At the bottom of the column there should be a ring with different slots. There's a pin that goes into the slots, they have indications like 3cm (Leitz easel) or 0 cm, which means the auto focus will work without easel.
Finally, I have painted the ceiling of my darkroom (above the Focomats) mat dark blue. No light reflections . . .

I may not have understood your problems exactly, or perhaps you have an older 2A. I have worked with many Focomats 2c, never encountered any of the problems you speak off !

Re the original post, I can only refer to the attached image . . .

 

[canvassy]

I wouldn't say LOVE, but Bessy (Beseler 23C II) and I just started our relationship 6 or 8 months ago and we're off to a great start so far

 

[chip j]

Love it! I have a 1c & a Durst M35 Micromat (Bugatti Royale of 35mm enlargers). I've got a semi-point-light source in the Durst and my long-time Leica dealer was always marveling at the superb tonality. Plus I have the AN disc for the 1c and the AN carrier for the Durst.

 

[Ron789]

Yes... and it's out of control.... a Leitz Valoy II, a Focomat 1c, a Focomat V35, a Focomat 2c, a Durst M805 and a Laborator 138s. I love them all but I need to make choices. At the moment I only use the Laborator 138s and the Focomat 1c. The others are carefully stored.

 

[Mark Crabtree]

How many of you are "in love" w/your enlargers? I love mine more than I love my cameras.

I like all of mine just fine, but would probably be happy enough with any one of them. The built in at the factory limitations and issues used to drive me nuts, but I've mostly worked around those now on the enlargers I've kept.

 

[mehguy]

I'm sitting here with my Durst M601, haven't got a chance to print with it, but seems to be a nice enlarger

 

[ac12]

I'm sitting here with my Durst M601, haven't got a chance to print with it, but seems to be a nice enlarger

You will like/love it.
It is the next step up from my M600, which I still have from my high school days.

 

[ac12]

As was mentioned, to me it is just a tool.
BUT, I find wet darkroom work to be a pleasant relaxing thing to do.
To that end, I am in the process of restoring a Durst L-1000, to be my primary enlarger, once I get my darkroom setup.
My current enlarger is a Durst M600, that I use because it is easily disassembled and stored away.
I guess, I have a soft spot for the Durst enlargers.

 

[paul ron]

im in love with my darkroom. the main reason is i get absolutely no stress from my equipment. everthing functions perfectly n accurately.

darkroom work is pure fun n extreamly relaxing.

besseler 45 n a 67 both cold light.

 

[mshchem]

I really love darkroom work. I have accumulated just about every gadget I've ever dreamed of. I've had a darkroom since I was 12. I'm on my fourth and hopefully last. It's a living history project as much as it is a workshop. I've never really done much professional work . I don't know if I would like it any less, however I have great admiration for the passionate people who throw themselves into the arduous task of analog photography in the hopes of making art and maybe a living.
One of my favorite photos is a portrait of Ansel Adams standing in a rubber apron at an outside entry to his darkroom and workshops, it was taken during his last flurry of publishing and printing I'm guessing early 1980s. That's the way I want to go out.
Mike

 

[Ozxplorer]

My LPL 7700 System Pro Black & White condenser is perfectly in tune with my photographic needs and wants. It does what I ask of it - time after time, without irrational discussion, cheeky backchat nor moments of obstinacy. What is more, it always responds to my "urges" when the occasions arise... What is there not to love about it?

 

[MattKing]

This thread brings new meaning to the admonition: "Get a Room!"